'Our View' Running: Good for the body and the economy

August 18, 2010

Lace up the Nikes and slather on the Bodyglide. There’s a long run ahead. The first Harbor Springs Marathon and Half Marathon will take place on Saturday, Oct. 9, in Harbor Springs. Taking the scenic M-119 from downtown Harbor Springs and Lower Shore Drive to almost Good Hart and back for the standard 26.2 miles required to make it a marathon. Northern Michigan is becoming known for its running events. Charlevoix’s 4th annual Run Charlevoix marathon and half marathon and associated events Saturday, June 26, attracted some 1,300 people, organizers say. Hundreds, including world-class runners, ran in Charlevoix’s Venetian Festival events — the Ryan Shay Mile and Jeff Drenth Memorial. Beaver Island Marathon, Half Marathon and Harbor 3.5 mile Run is slated for its second running Saturday, Sept. 4. Petoskey’s Festival on the Bay Wellness Walk/run is slated for Saturday, Aug. 21. The fact is, running events abound in Northern Michigan. Some are a flash in the pan, others have storied traditions. So what’s so special, then, about a bunch of men and women running along the shoulder of a road or down a trail? “It’s not just the runners that will be here, they are going to bring family and friends and all those people will need places to stay and eat,” said Scott Herceg, executive director of the Harbor Springs Area Chamber of Commerce in promoting the new Harbor Springs race. “It will be a great introduction for people to this area if they haven’t been here before.” Herceg’s got it exactly right. While proportionally few of us would even dream of running down to the corner store for a gallon of milk, let alone 26 miles, thousands of people are eager to lace up and take on the challenge of marathons, half-marathons and shorter 10 kilometer and 5 kilometer events — even if it’s just to walk it. Before and after they run themselves ragged, these athletes need to eat, need a place to stay and will avail themselves of other attractions Northern Michigan has to offer — and they’ll have their families with them. It seems to us that running is good for the body and good for the economy. So to Harbor’s inaugural event we say: Full steam ahead!